La Celadina has the distinction of being the only residence built and inhabited by the Tasso family to have survived intact from the sixteenth century to the present day. The Portone del Diavolo (“Devil’s Gate”) marks the entrance to the large estate in which the villa once stood. Here, the richness of its artistic and architectural features—visible in the enfilade of rooms, frescoes, and stuccoes—intertwines with the international history of the Tasso family, who, in the service of Popes and Emperors, organised postal services between the various European states for centuries. In doing so, they promoted communication among the peoples of Europe and helped lay the foundations of Europe itself.
This activity brought them great wealth and noble status, and the cultural association, aptly entitled “… nel nome dei Tasso…” also illustrates how the postal service formed the basis of communication, enabling the spread of culture and encouraging the development of human society.
Among the many literary members of the Tasso family, their cousin Torquato Tasso, author of Gerusalemme Liberata, deserves special mention. He studied together with the young Tassos of Celadina, who hosted him here on several occasions. The Tasso—later known as Tassis and then Thurn und Taxis—remain the only family of Bergamasque origin to have achieved such widespread European prominence through their service to Popes and Emperors.
